Into Your Arms
by IntoAnotherWorld
Summary: A thief and a detective meet on a roof top. Neither of them ever stood a chance, but tragedy strikes when you least expect it. P3: It was an unexpected encounter.
1. Part One

A/N: This is completely unbeta'd. I've read it through a few times myself, but if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out. Also, this is sorta my first time really writing anything serious for DCMK, so if the characters don't seem right, please tell me that too. I know it's a pretty subjective thing, but I do enjoy feedback.

Also as a warning, this part may be fluffy, but this is actually going to be a tear jerker. If I write it right that is. Of course, this part could stand alone if it's all you want to read.

This whole fic is inspired by the song: Into Your Arms - The Maine

* * *

_There was a new girl in town / She had it all figured it / And I'll state something rash/ She had the most amazing smile_

* * *

_This heist_, Kid thought privately to himself, _sucked_. It was a childish thought, but not one anyone would be surprised at the thief having. Kaitou _KID_ was a fitting appellation for him, especially when he sulked like a five year-old who had been denied their favorite toy. Of course, in his mind, he _had_ been denied his favorite toy. Tantei-kun had skipped out on his heist. Nakamori-keibu and tantei-san were just too predictable and easy to avoid. What the white clad thief wanted was the razor sharp mind of his favorite critic and the thrill of the chase.

Oh, what was a thief to do? He'd have to think up some nasty prank for the little twerp next time. No one skips out on his heist after getting a personal invitation. Who did tantei-kun think he was? He had even been nice and left it with the nutty inventor and the scary tiny scientist. Where was the appreciation? There would be glitter and pink dye in the shrunken detective's future. Perhaps the thief could even find a pretty matching dress for the brat.

An evil chuckle escaped him as he hopped onto the railing, preparing to sail away into the night. The sound of the roof door opening stayed his hand from his glider's release. The white clad thief didn't bother to turn and check who had made it through his traps. No, he would recognize the feel of that stare anywhere. It made the hairs on the back of his necks stand and shivers of anticipation race through him. Tantei-kun had made it after all, although he was unusually late.

"Tsk, tsk," Kid clicked his tongue, sounding scolding despite the wide grin curving his lips like a crescent moon. "You are late, tantei-kun! The fun is already over."

There was a soft snort behind him. Footsteps approached his perch, falling heavier than normal. The thief's grin faltered, body tensing - this wasn't tantei-kun - and then there came a soft chuckle, the same as he could occasionally get out of tantei-kun, but _deeper_ and more _mature_. (_Not that tantei-kun wasn't far to mature for his seven year-old body, but he didn't have the right register for this_.)

"Sorry, I was delayed," apologized the stranger with all of the dry, sarcastic wit of his favorite critic. A giddy sort of delight bubbled through Kid's veins like a fine champagne. He turned on the railing effortlessly despite the tiny space, his balance impeccable. Two sets of blue eyes locked and Kid was treated to his first face-to-face encounter with Kudo Shinichi. Without conscious thought, he took a moment to analyze his rival. Indigo eyes took in the pale face and light sheen of sweat coating the other's face. His breath was unsteady as if he'd been running non-stop. Odd considering that Conan rarely seemed so out of breath even on some of their more intense chases. The thief felt a fissure of concern threaten his Poker Face before he smoothed it over. By then the silence had run for a beat too long and that just wouldn't do. The phantom swept into a low showman's bow.

"Well, I will forgive you this time, meitantei~" said Kid, all air and barely restrained anticipation. His entire body imperceptibly vibrated with his glee. Really, it was just too bad that this was the end of the night's game. Meitantei would be unable to follow him into the skies. "After all, I can see that you must have spent some time preparing for our rendezvous."

The detective scowled, two faint patches of red coloring his cheeks. "Ba'aro! This didn't have anything to do with you," He said, defensive in his embarrassment. His transformation really didn't have anything to do with the thief. It was only coincidence that Kid's heist coincided with the treatments that he had been going through to counter the APTX 4869. "Don't get conceited, Kid."

Hidden under the brim of his hat, the thief gave him a speculative stare. Him, conceited? How rude! The crescent grin took on a sharper more mischievous edge that had the high-school detective taking an involuntary step back. It was the kind of grin that came just before some horrifically humiliating trick. One white gloved hand rose into the air and with a snap, pink smoke obscured Shinichi's vision. Raising a hand to his mouth, the detective peered blearily through the smoke to see his rival.

A dark blob appeared in the cloud and hands were on him, a familiar chuckle resounded in his ears, and then the thief was gone before he could retaliate. The smoke faded and he could see once again. In the same spot as before, Kid stood casually on the railing with a pleased smirk. Shinichi lowered his arms from the defensive stance that he had taken. A weight in his left hand had him look down into the deep red petals of a bouquet of roses. A white sash had been draped across his chest reading "#1 Meitantei." A flush spread across his face. Was it possible to be flattered and exasperated at once? Stupid thief.

He glanced up from his new additions to throw some dry remark about the thief's lack of originality (he had seen far worse done to the Task Force) to find the thief laughing his white clad ass off. Why was he…? Well, it hardly mattered what the idiot found so hilarious, just for that Shinichi wasn't going to left him off so easily. With an evil smirk, his hand dropped to his belt. Asking Agasa to make a spare ball dispensing belt fit for his adult size had been one of better ideas to date.

The audile click of the belt had Kid freezing mid-laugh. Oh, he knew that sound. It was the prelude to tantei-kun's soccer ball from hell. And, oh look, there it was on the way to take his head off. His Poker Face crumbled in the face of the high-powered projectile as Kid threw himself backwards to avoid it. Instead of his face, his top hat suffered the brunt of the attack, flying off his head as Kid went tumbling over the edge of the building. As he went over, Shinichi ran to the railing, fearing for a moment that he'd sent the thief plunging to his death. It wasn't often that he got to see an expression of horror and surprise on the thief's face, especially not as he was falling into the open sky.

The detective almost threw himself over the railing, eyes scanning frantically below. A white triangle gliding between the skyscrapers caught his attention. Of course, Kid would catch himself on his wings. Shinichi could practically see the thief's crescent grin and mocking laughter as he flew off. Dropping his face into his unoccupied hand, the high-school student chuckled at his blunder, a relieved smile curving his lips. Stupid, stupid thief.


	2. Part Two

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read the first part. I hope you enjoy this next one. Answers to my two reviewers will be at the bottom for those who don't want to see them.**

**As an additional note, the next chapter probably won't come out quite so quickly. I had this one half written when I uploaded the first and I have exams next week.**

**This is completely unbeta'd. I've read it through a few times myself, but if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out. Also, this is sorta my first time really writing anything serious for DCMK, so if the characters don't seem right, please tell me that too. I know it's a pretty subjective thing, but I do enjoy feedback.**

**Song: Into Your Arms – The Maine**

* * *

_I bet you didn't expect that / But she made me change my ways / With eyes like sunsets, baby/ And legs that went on for days_

* * *

It was, Kid reflected as he walked down the unfamiliar road, a risky venture to visit his favorite critic outside of heists. Of course, the higher stakes, the more fun the phantom thief had. Still, he couldn't help but feel that visiting the detective in broad daylight in his own home was a bit more than a risky bet. He might as well pop in on Nakamori-keibu and ask to be cuffed. Fighting with the urge to run very, very far away, Kid lifted his fist and rapped hard on the door to the Kudo residence.

"Oi, Kudo!" He called, adopting the rough, brash tone of Hattori Heiji. The Osakan was the perfect disguise as he liked to show up unannounced and drag his fellow detective off for cases or to whatever new restaurant he wanted to try (_plus_ _Kid had made sure he was sufficiently distracted_). Secretly, Kid just thought that Hattori had a little crush on meitantei, but it seemed to be a reoccurring trend with detectives that they were just as oblivious to their own feelings as they were to the feelings of others. Case in point being Hakuba who had yet to realize that Aoko had been subtly coaxing him into pseudo-dates with her for the past three months. Who knew such a law-abiding girl could be so devious? But that was neither here nor there. Right now, he had his own detective to coax out. "Kudoooooooo! Open up."

Meitantei was being a bit slow. Eight in the morning wasn't so early that he should be taking this long. Kid jimmied the lock (_Only a deadbolt, meitantei? Tsk, tsk_.) and slipped inside. Now, the room he wanted was just up stairs and to the left. The bedroom door was open a crack, but the inside was dark. Was his rival even home? Kid pouted. He was sure that his doves had spotted the fully grown detective in his house. The door swung open silently as the thief stepped into the room. It took only a second to spot the owner of said room. The detective was sprawled across his bed, face buried in his pillow, in a pair of boxers with magnifying glasses on them and nothing else. Kid fought back a snicker as he crept closer. Of course the detective would have…Wait. Kid rewound that thought. Meitantei. Only wearing boxers.

The thief's eyes slid up the pale arch of the detective's spine to the sloping shoulders. It should be a crime for meitantei to be so pretty. One falsely tan hand reached out to touch when the sleeping boy's only visible eye snapped open to focus on the thief. It was only due to years of practice that Kid's yelp of surprise (_Poker Face! Poker Face!) _was still in Hattori's voice as a dead-pan stare fixed on him. The detective sat up while giving him the evil eye, although the effect was mostly lost due to his sleep rumpled hair and appearance. Kid couldn't help the snickers that left him.

"What do you want, Hattori?" Well, someone wasn't a morning person. The detective looked positively evil (_and sexy_) with his hooded sleepy eyes glaring up at the disguised thief from under dark bangs. Not that it would deter Kid who'd faced witches, angry inspectors, and a man out for his blood. Really, he just found it a bit cute. So Kid shrugged, grinning his smuggest as he'd seen Hattori do on occasion while observing (_not stalking)_ the duo.

"Y'need to get out more, Kudo, and there's this great okonomiyaki place that I've been wantin' to try, so get up," He drawled, in a masterful performance (_if he did say so himself_) of flawless Kansai-ben. He'd heard one of the chibi-tantei's attempts at it and couldn't help but feel more than a little smug by this little one-up he had on the detective. For a second, it looked like Shinichi would leap up and strangle his "friend," but instead he slumped over and gave a resigned sigh. Score one for the thief!

"Fine, fine, but there had better be coffee," grumbled meitantei as he gracelessly rose from the bed, stretching in ways that displayed the muscles of his shoulders and back almost obscenely. Kid had the sudden urge to run his hands along the arch of his spine and- Poker Face clamped down before his decidedly perverted thoughts could show on his face. He needed to leave. As in right then. If he stayed, other parts of his body were going to start responding to the half-naked and oblivious teenager. With a hastily muttered excuse, the thief escaped from the bedroom. Poker Face efficiently took over and handled the task of getting back to the foyer to await the detective, but underneath that Kid's mind was jabbering about long, long legs and hooded blue eyes that burned through him hotter than the sun.

It was fortunate that Shinichi took his sweet time, because the not-so little problem Kid suddenly found himself with stubbornly hung around even through thoughts of Nakamori-keibu and the whole Kid Task Force in speedos. In the end, he was more than a little horrified by the time his problem faded (_perhaps never to return because that was a horrific image_) and probably would have nightmares for weeks to come along that train of thought. He shuddered before schooling his face into a Hattori Shit-Eating Grin (_guaranteed to give Kudos the heebie-jeebies at over ten paces_) as his unwitting date clomped down the stairs.

The still jabbering part of his mind pointed out how nicely those dark jeans hugged every inch of the detective from the waist down. It was a good thing that he had Poker Face, because meitantei looked downright molsetable. Seriously, in Kid's book anyone who dressed that neatly on a daily basis was just asking to have someone ruffle them. A button down and a sweater vest? Was he serious? Of course with all of the cases he ran into, the detective probably had to always be prepared for the press that was sure to follow. Who would respect a detective in scruffy jeans and t-shirts?

Well, Hattori seemed to manage, but then the Osakan had the Osaka Police Department backing him up whereas Shinichi had had to convince the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to listen to him on his own. Even if he had once told meitantei that detectives were nothing but uncreative critics, Kid's opinion had since been revised, at least for the most part. He could be rather… creative in his criticisms (_like pretending to fall from a building just to dart him, the little brat_). And the thief respected the detective despite their differences. Although, "respect" hardly seemed to cover all of his thoughts toward meitantei, but to label it as anything else would be to acknowledge it (_if he didn't, things could stay the same, right?)._

The detective reached the bottom step, forcing Kid out of his musings. He looked better than he had that night on the rooftop, though he was a bit paler than his shrunken self, a side-effect of his growth spurts perhaps. The thief mentally revised some of his plans for the day to be less physically intensive. He didn't want their time together to end with meitantei passed out on the floor. That would just ruin everything.

"Isn't it too early for okonomiyaki, Hattori?" Shinichi groused as they left the house, locking the door behind them (_and giving it a curious glance_). He didn't seem particularly angry though and Kid had seen him enough times in the morning via his doves to know this was just pre-coffee grouchiness. The route he had planned for their trip included passing by a little coffee shop, so that would be quickly remedied.

"Okonomiyaki is for lunch," answered the disguised thief, grinning over at the other teen. Shinichi gave him a look that was all too easily interpreted as 'Then why did you wake me up so early?' Kid easily ignored the pointed stare and continued to lead the detective along, chattering about a baseball game that had taken place in Osaka a few days before. He missed the speculative glare that the other gave him as he recounted a particularly close home run. If he had seen it, Kid would have recognized it as the face that his favorite critic made when he was close to figuring out his disguise.

"You know," said Shinichi, breaking into the one-sided conversation and Kid looked over at him questioningly. The speculative glare on the detective's face softened into fond exasperation. "If you wanted to see me that badly, you could have come as yourself."

Startled, Kid could only stare wide-eyed as he was passed by the other teen. How had…? The thief pouted, for sure he thought he'd pulled one over the detective or at least could have kept him in the dark for a little longer. Meitantei was getting too good at sniffing him out. "What gave me away?" asked Kid after a moment of silence.

Shinichi smirked back at him, eyes glittering with glee at having ousted him. The thief had been doing a good job, but he really should have chosen someone else for his disguise. Hattori couldn't keep anything to himself, especially not when he had something to rub in Shinichi's face. Honestly, he'd forgotten about it in his pre-coffee haze, but Hattori had called to gloat over being invited to speak at a Mystery Novelist Convention in Kyoto just the night before. Likely, that had been Kid's doing (_and, secretly, he hoped it was fake just so he could get a little revenge for Hattori's gloating._)

"Hattori called to gloat," answered the detective after a few minutes of letting the thief squirm. He shrugged and turned back around to face forward, making no moves to grab the thief when he picked up the pace to match strides with the detective. Oddly, Shinichi didn't feel the need to start their usual game of cat and mouse. It didn't feel strange to have the other walking beside him in contemplative silence. In other circumstances, he knew that he and Kid could have been friends. Coming to a decision as they stopped in front of the coffee shop the thief had been leading them to, Shinichi gave the nervous disguised teen a piercing look. "No tricks?"

Kid stared back at him with a solemn expression (_and it was really hard to keep his face straight when all he wanted to do was grin._) "No tricks," swore the thief, one hand resting over his heart. That seemed to satisfy the detective as he nodded once and headed into the shop, but not before throwing out one last comment that finally destroyed Kid's control over his grin.

"And change your disguise."

When Shinichi returned with his cup of black coffee, there was a blue-eyed, tanned blonde boy waiting for him with a familiar pair of glasses perched on his grinning face. He didn't bother patting the pocket he had been keeping the tracking glasses in. When had he…? No, Shinichi decided, he really didn't want to know. In companionable silence, the duo left the little shop behind, anticipating the day ahead.

* * *

_I'm falling in love / But it's falling apart / I need to find my way back to the start / When we were in love / Oh things were better than they are / Let me back into / Into your arms_

* * *

_Things had been going so well. Why did this have to happen? He clutches the circle of metal and glass tighter in his hand. What more would they take from him? He fights the tears threatening to come. If he cries now, he won't be able to stop. With a shuddering breath, he curls up, protectively tucking the hand grasping the monocle tightly in the space between his torso and knees. _

"_Why?" He asks, but there isn't an answer no matter how much he hopes for one. His father stares silently down at him. It was comforting once, but now it is only a reminder of how much he's lost. "Tou-san… Meitantei…" _

_It's his mother who finds him curled up in front of the portrait of his father. She doesn't say anything, just cards her fingers through his hair until he can find his Poker Face._

* * *

**A/N:**

**Foreverandeveralone: Thanks! I hope you'll stick around to see~**

**Yuu3: Well, here is more!**


	3. Part Three

**A/N: **

**Wow guys, I am sorry this took so long! I've been sick and blah, blah, blah. Hopefully, the next chapter won't be so long in coming. If you've been to my profile, you can see how many chapters are left/when I predict they will be up. I'll try to keep it updated as I write this time. I sorta spontaneously finished this one last night, so there was no time to update it.**

**As usual, reviews are addressed at the bottom.**

**This is completely unbeta'd. I've read it through a few times myself, but if you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out. Also, this is sorta my first time really writing anything serious for DCMK, so if the characters don't seem right, please tell me that too. I know it's a pretty subjective thing, but I do enjoy feedback.**

**Song: Into Your Arms – The Maine**

* * *

_She made her way to the bar / I tried to talk to her but she seemed so far / Outta my league / I had to find a way to get her next to me._

* * *

Meeting meitantei out of his hat and monocle hadn't been Kaito's intention when he'd caught the train to Beika that morning, but there he was watching the detective lounge on a park bench while reading what looked to be a Sherlock Holmes novel. So far the thief had been content to watch, not daring to approach. His chest felt tighten and his stomach flutter as he watched the other turn a page, frowning deeply even as he read about his beloved idol. What was making the detective look so pensive? The magician's damnable curiosity perked its metaphorical ears.

Deep down, Kaito knew that his decision had been made the moment that he spotted the detective. How could he pass up the chance to visit his meitantei, especially when he was making such a face? As casually as possible, the magician strolled over to the detective and seated himself on the bench. The other didn't even look up from his book. He wasn't put off by it though; that was just the way meitantei was and Kaito was more than adept at getting people to pay attention to him.

"Must be a pretty interesting book, huh?" He said, hoping to draw the other out of his thoughts. The vacant stare directed at the book made it more than obvious that his favorite critic wasn't actually reading the words in front of him. The detective nodded absently, mumbling a vaguely affirmative answer. Kaito pouted at the non-response, bottom lip poking out and cheeks puffing. Meitantei wasn't playing very well. How could he dare ignore _the_ Kaitou Kid? (_Even if at the moment he was just Kuroba Kaito, high-school student and magician extraordinaire.)_ "My name's Kuroba, Kaito. Nice to meet you~"

Before the other boy could react, Kaito brought his hand up to Shinichi's face; a rose appeared in a small puff of smoke underneath the startled teen's nose. For moment, the sleuth blinked in surprise at the red rose being held out to him. Wide blue eyes traveled up the arm that held it to Kaito's face. The magician found the befuddled expression on the teen's face adorable; it made him want to press a kiss to the "o" shape of the detective's lips (_involving a lot of tongue, wandering hands, and disappearing clothes)_. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting to look into his near mirror image.

"Ano… Kudo Shinichi, nice to meet you as well," Shinichi replied, taking the rose when it became obvious that the other wasn't going to take it out of his face. Kaito fought the urge to grin manically at this minor victory; it would likely tip the detective off to just who had taken a seat next to him (_and wouldn't that ruin the moment)_. Unfortunately, his victory didn't last. The sleuth apparently decided that their conversation was over with at that and turned back to his book; though, this time he seemed to actually be trying to pay attention to it.

Frustrated, the magician idly began to juggle some balls he had stashed away in his many pockets. One, two, three – they seemed to appear out of thin air to anyone watching and more appeared as he got into the rhythm. Kaito was up to six before he realized that the teen next to him was occasionally sneaking peeks. After that it turned into a game to see which trick would finally make Shinichi acknowledge his existence.

Doves exploded from his clothes in a shower of confetti that exploded into glitter once they hit the ground. The juggling balls disappeared in puffs of smoke to be replaced by various items (_a pineapple, Hakuba's pocket watch, Nakamori's hand-cuffs, a yo-yo, Shinichi's cell-phone, and a deck of cards.) _The appearance of the cell-phone had the brunette sleuth giving him the evil eye, but Kaito smiled winningly and the cell-phone disappeared with a poof to be given back once he programmed his number into it. One by one the items disappeared, although he pretended to be puzzled over where the pineapple had come from and what to do with it before it too disappeared. The small crowd that he had gathered laughed and clapped, but Shinichi remained stubbornly buried in his book, a faint patch of red across his cheeks from the attention the magician had brought to his once quiet bench.

At the end of impromptu magic show, Kaito bowed from his seat as the crowd began to disperse. The lack of reaction on the detective's part was disappointing, but the magician was too stubborn to just give up. He sat back with a sigh, glancing to his right to find Shinichi practically buried in his book. The brushing of red on his ears had the other boy perking back up with a grin. His efforts hadn't been a total waste at least. Wetting his dry lips, Kaito decided that he needed to change plans. With that in mind, he leapt up from his seat and hurried away. But because his back was turned, he didn't see the detective look up with a disappointed frown on his face.

With a rueful shake of his head, Shinichi went back to reading his book, though looking a little more exhausted than he had been before, as if Kaito had taken with him any energy the sleuth had. He slumped a little further on the bench, eyes taking on the glazed quality from before Kaito's improvised magic show. Everything seemed so dull to him since the BO had been taken down and Haibara's treatments had finally given him back his body. He was genuinely happy to get back to his life, but his time as Conan had changed him irrevocably. No longer was he the cock-sure, naïve detective he had once been. He was also very alone after so long surrounded by friends as Conan. Very few of his relationships had translated well into his return as Shinichi.

His relationship with Ran was strained. Oh, she had forgiven him, but he'd left her waiting for years, stuck in emotional limbo with only a vague confession and a few phone calls. He'd been lucky she didn't wallop him one, but his health after the repeated treatments to return to his rightful body had left him thin and sickly. She hadn't wanted to risk killing him before she could properly punish him for leaving her in the dark for so long. Neither of them quite knew where they stood on their feelings for the other, though Shinichi couldn't help but feel that there was a gulf between them now that would take time to heal. Whatever their relationship would become once that happened, he knew it wouldn't be the same as before. (_Especially if Kogoro had his way. The older man would be happy to never see the detective brat ever again.)_

The Shounen Tantei-dan had accepted his transformation from Conan to Shinichi with surprising ease (_and damn Haibara for telling them even if he __**was**__ secretly pleased that he didn't have to hurt them with Conan's disappearance)_. It was one relationship that had survived. His friendship with Hattori was a given. The other had known the truth almost as long as he'd been Conan.

His relationship with the police was a bit awkward, though the children seemed to help with that. Megure-keibu was happy to see him again of course, but the rest had never really worked with him as Shinichi. Takagi had taken to giving him speculative looks though; Shinichi knew it was only a matter of time before he came around looking for answers.

Things weren't exactly right, but they were getting better. The only thing that hadn't truly changed was his relationship with the mysterious Moonlight Magician. The thief treated him the way he had always treated Conan. When facing off against Kid, there was never any doubt in his mind that the other regarded him as an equal. Though now that they were more evenly matched, their little matches had become even more intense, often leaving the Task Force far behind. It was exhilarating. On those nights, the detective felt more at home in his life than he had in months.

Shinichi let his head fall back against the bench, eyes closed as he recalled their more recent matches. Maybe that wasn't completely true. Something _had_ changed, though he wasn't sure what yet. It had started when the thief showed up at his house and taken him on a… on a date? The sleuth wasn't completely sure how to classify the mind-boggling actions of the thief. So maybe their relationship had changed, but he couldn't really say it was for the worse. A smile curved his lips.

Something cold pressed against his forehead, scattering his thoughts to the wind. Blue eyes snapped open to find a grinning face hovering over his. Kaito lifted the can from the detective's head and held it out for the other to take. Shinichi took it hesitantly as the other boy leapt over the back of the bench to reclaim his seat. The sleuth looked down at the canned drink, pleasantly surprised to find that it was cold black coffee. He hadn't even realized they made cans of it black. With a soft but sincere "thank you," he popped the lid and took a sip. Beside him, Kaito grinned as he opened his own can of some chocolate flavored drink.

They sat in silence, Shinichi's book now forgotten on the bench beside him. Neither really felt the need to break it; somehow it felt good to just sit and enjoy it for once. Still, something nagged at the detective's mind like a half-remembered dream and prompted him to speak. There was something here, if only he could pin exactly what.

"You're a pretty good magician," Shinichi said quietly as he sipped the can of cold coffee. It seemed so familiar, but that was ridiculous. Though maybe not _that _ridiculous if he took into consideration that strange visit… He focused his full attention on the messy haired teenager.

"You think so?" Kaito asked, looking over at the detective with a goofy grin. Meitantei had complimented him!

"Yeah… the pineapple was an interesting touch."

The two shared a look, before both began to laugh in earnest. Yes, it had been worth the risk to approach the detective. The sight of the Great Detective of the East laughing as if he didn't have any cares burned itself into the magician's mind, a treasure he would never return.

* * *

_I'm falling in love / But it's falling apart / I need to find my way back to the start / When we were in love / Oh things were better than they are / Let me back into / Into your arms_

* * *

_He almost doesn't go. But it is only almost. How can he stay away? The magician looks down at the single white rose in its plastic wrapping sitting on his nightstand. It can't even come close to conveying what he wishes that he had said to his meitantei. He wants to shower the other in nine hundred and ninety-nine roses. It's too late now though._

_He grasps the flower tightly and leaves his room. Downstairs his mother is watching the news on the couch. As he passes the living room, the TV changes to a picture of a blue-eyed, brunette teenage boy and below the picture scrolls "Death of high-school detective Kudo Shinichi?" A sob catches in his throat and he is gone out the door before his mother can turn. _

_He doesn't want to think about it, but it's everywhere – on TV, in the papers, on the lips of strangers. He wants to yell at them. They don't know anything, don't know his meitantei. _

_Instead of yelling, he keeps running. He escapes the TV and the papers and the strangers, but it's never fast enough to escape his thoughts._

* * *

**Review Response:**

**Mokuren no Ken: Depends. You will see if you stick around!**

**Foreverandeveralone: That'll be up to you! I won't say yes or no just yet.**

**Athieisademon: Teehee, you're making me blush. I hope this doesn't disappoint.**

**Yuu3: I hope this update answers a few questions! Although, I'm sure it's also given you more. Heh, heh. **

**Thank you all for your reviews! It really inspired me to work on this part. And thanks to all those who have been following IYA so far. **


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